Can I Use Any Wood as Driftwood in Aquarium?

You should use just any wood that you find outside for your fish aquarium. There’s a handful of requirements that are going to help your aquarium when it comes to wood. Hard wood works a lot better than softer woods. The softer wood has a tendency to leech out things into the water and decay at a much faster process.
Products:
➡ Live Plants - amzn.to/3VwMqFZ
➡ Popular Aquariums - amzn.to/3VNuPLu
➡ Rock & Wood - amzn.to/4emMp0d
➡ Best Lighting - amzn.to/3KNx8Yz
When adding random pieces of wood to your aquarium and make sure to get the scratch test with your fingernail. If it feels extremely soft chances are you don’t wanna put it in your fish tank. Also make sure that no pesticides or herbicides were ever sprayed in the area that you found the piece of wood. It’s perfectly fine to add hardwoods that you have found in your aquarium as Driftwood.

[@PalmerFishTalk]

➡ Live Plants - amzn.to/3VwMqFZ ➡ Popular Aquariums - amzn.to/3VNuPLu ➡ Rock & Wood - amzn.to/4emMp0d ➡ Best Lighting - amzn.to/3KNx8Yz

[@JOSnTHELORD]

Love your fish rooms. Loved the video.🎉

[@jonmedlin7744]

always needed this vid

[@insomniahobbies]

In KS they promote removing of fallen trees and debris, especially in summer as it can become a fire hazard. Only law is if it's on private property we need to get permission from the land owner.

[@canadianyoutuber9448]

Thanks that helps a lot

[@pinkgirl281982]

I'm in Minnesota so good to know

[@ianstrong7140]

He means soft wood such as pine, cedar , poplar. And you can definitely remove wood from mothernature lol. I think there are laws in certain national park areas where can't remove anything.

[@peziki]

In general it is ok to take away dead/down wood, fire hazards. Except in the Natl Parks. NPS has regulations that nothing can be removed from natl parks. No rocks, wood, xmas trees, shells, mushrms, flowers, animals.... etc. These belong to the taxpayers, so you must see them for permits even if you are native american.

[@westtxyo3171]

I use cholla wood I collect in NM off of BLM land. If its illegal. I dunno. Its on the ground to rot. If you buy it at a store it is expensive. for a small piece. I boil it and put it in. Break it into what I want or keep whole pieces ... very awesome. I have one particular tank that the pieces now look purple- ish, Almost like a coralline algae in a salt water tank. With a bit of hard green algae , no hair. The shrimp love it, as they are multiplying. Like you I do love the look of drift wood. It makes it look natural. Cholla is prob not natural aquarium drift wood as it is in the desert and a cactus..but it works. I love watching your progress. It would be awesome to see a day of tank cleaning. LOL. What exactly does it entail? Do you have weekly schedule? I know some of it is time consuming. I have 8 tanks and with summer, work, the garden, and the pond (snake infested) Its crazy for me. How do you manage 50 plus tanks and have a real job? Oh and the house plants? Not to mention those adorable cats. I know aside from fish and the garden I spend at least a hour one day a week watering houseplants,, mostly orchids, Why it takes so long.

[@MeezBoss]

Who DOESN'T want hard wood?

[@kapasyata]

Yea doesn't matter it just have to be hard

[@Jouz_326]

😂😂

[@ZEBULON181]

He did ask for it haha

[@pickles_youtube_acc]

@@ZEBULON181literally 😂

[@Monkey_pops_balloons]

I found the hardest wood is on presentation day in school

[@blackc1479]

Not a fan of penalizing people harvesting driftwood, but I can see the overall idea. It basically falls under letting nature do her thing and not potentially adding stresses to an ecosystem. I can totally see individual folks harvesting their own stuff, don't think that would make a huge difference. But given how much we pay for driftwood, it could drive a market that overharvests, and has various knock on effects down the road. So yeah, grey issue. Keep commercial industry out. They always overdo it. Just go out and find your own.

[@LostLeftyLimb]

I was told by a city park manager (big forested parks here in cleveland) that it isn’t a problem so long as it’s dead. He said they have to go around and clean up all the dead wood anyway so I’d be doing them s favor.

[@NWozz034]

I was going to order driftwood online but all I can find in large pieces is Mopani. I’ve seen mopani take months and months to finally stop leaching tannins. I know it’s not bad for the fish but I hate the tea colored water it produces. Is there a way to speed up the process outside of boiling the driftwood and soaking it?

[@hairslayer2638]

Do I still have to boil coral wood ???

[@beccs5050]

Can I use reptile wood? If I boiled it first.

[@mimigonzo8293]

Is teak wood safe for aquariums?

[@mtcoiner7994]

I live next to a literal drift wood treasure trove in Montana. AMAZING root structures. Not sure if the wood type is ideal though.

[@juanname5599]

Hey I found some red cedar wood on the beach that is very old and bleached. It’s a very thin piece that is full on tiny branches. Would you say that’s safe ? It has the red cedar interior color and smell but it’s dried out so I’m not entirely sure about it

[@kristinelininger7889]

I got a piece of African Blackwood from my local aquarium store. I have two axolotls… thoughts?

[@marboronat1182]

Hi Chris, thanks for your video. Very helpful. I have gotten some wood from a friend that used it in the past in her fish tank. I just boiled it for 20 minutes and put it in my tank (it's floating atm), will do a water test to check parameters in 24 hours. I'm wondering if I should boil it for a couple of hours to be extra safe? Thank you in advance!

[@ChristianF2424]

You should be fine if your friend used it in a fish tank it’s safe you should add some weights to hold it down I super glued rocks 🪨

[@simplyamitroy]

can i use TEA wood in my aquarium?

[@PULAG]

I need a kiddy pool quarantine tank to make sure my wood don't get Ick

[@drew-shourd]

Great videos here boss, I live 12 minutes from Lake Michigan, in SW Michigan and taking sand from the beach is illegal, which makes sense. You wouldn't want people just rolling up taking truckloads of it, as far as driftwood, taking that is illegal also, helps with erosion so the law states. Anyway, I am putting a nano planted tank together and just got back from the lake with a very nice and very small piece....so fine me.

[@KM-mk4mj]

A branch fell off our blackjack tree so we are trying to cure it. Knocked off the bark and whittled off the skin. Now we are boiling and soaking and boiling. Hope it works.

[@makiarn777]

Nice set up but I bet your electric bill is astronomical

[@juliaslade1513]

i have a lot of beautiful driftwood pieces you would love

[@joneishamoreno2944]

Yup different kinds of woods, big wood, soft wood, hard wood, long wood, short wood, white wood, black wood, woooow black wood. I looove black wood. I have a black wood, very hard not too long and not too short it fits perfectly in my tiny aquarium 😊

[@valiaudet3415]

At $45 per kilo at shop I want to find for free

[@WcHDICE]

I wonder if firewood works

[@El_compa.jesus18]

Can I use mulberry tree wood ? When it’s dry obviously

[@ashleighmartinez8448]

This is also what I'm trying to figure out...

[@thepogguys]

Can I use wood from a pet store or LFS? would that be safe?

[@pi4tos385]

Definitely

[@jimmiwoltz6416]

In Ohio it's legal to harvest driftwood

[@oldycow]

Yo question, can you condition softwood such as pine to be used in Aquariums?

[@Carlos_Aquariums]

No

[@Pray4Mojo1]

If it's aged enough. I put some into a tank with shrimp that was found on the beach. It had been weathered for a number of years. Spruce should be ok but it needs time to decay and all the sap to deteriorate.

[@oldycow]

@@Pray4Mojo1 I ended up using an old and decayed peach tree's wood. A year or so in and it looks like it's been doing great

[@cezarambros8759]

i gues if it has dried in the sun for 3 months, you could burn the surface of the wood so it gets harder, but watch out , Pine is acidic so is probably gona kill your fish

[@bobbyboko6317]

Did I see a Beta with guppies ? If so any problems ?

[@TailWaggyDog]

Most Betta boys will recognise the flashiness of the male guppies as male Betta and chase/attack. There are always less territorial Bettas, and also if there are enough escape routes for the guppies you may like to experiment. Be prepared to accept a fail and remove the Betta. Perhaps float him for a few days to get him used to seeing the guppies, or it may be that there is a colour that he notices/ignores. The guppies *may* try to fin nip the betta, but I doubt this too as they are mostly pretty slow moving. Like I said, try with care and caution. Be prepared for a fast rescue at any time, particularly a water change. When breeding Bettas, a water change will trigger the baby brothers to start attacking each other..

[@ToxickArt]

I need to know if yew wood would work!!?!?!???

[@mariapistritto7609]

In Canada to

[@sethmorgan6693]

Me- “Laws that aren’t enforced aren’t really laws.”

[@utube9503]

Can i used cherry blossom wood?

[@Pray4Mojo1]

I did once no problem. I let it weather outside for a long time first though then bake in the sun.

[@darrylm92]

Does anyone know if Alder is safe for aquariums?

[@peziki]

Probably not a good choice; it is considered a soft wood.

[@goatinginsane3151]

do some woods rot? thats my main worry right now and am wondering if there is a way to prevent rotting

[@peziki]

Yes, all wood will rot over time. Your driftwd will deteriorate eventually in yr tank. It can be difficult for avg ppl to identify species when hunting good driftwd so pay attn to the living trees nearby. Must use hardwds. Birch Oak Apple Thornapple Hawthorne are all okay. Don't use soft like Cedar Pine Spruce Poplar Aspen Lilac or nut trees. Do not varnish or spray or coat it w/anything if using in fish tanks.

[@danielingalls8980]

Go get all aquarium decor from nature. Bring nature into your aquarium and spread nature everywhere. No person should be penalized for simple collection of wood. The amount gathered to decorate an aquarium is negligible compared to the tons processed every day for construction and paper purposes. Give your fish their best life by making your scape as natural as can be. And that includes rocks and wood and plants from nature. Plant them and treat them right and it will all grow beautifully.

[@williamranzenberger5720]

being someone from mn i can promise u can go and get wood from the forest just as long youre not chopping the tree down

[@frankcastle9991]

Is cedar driftwood ok ?

[@vblackwell3347]

No.😢

[@taylorcaudil8058]

yah we aren't allowed to take It in Washington either. and we get really cool drift wood. fun fact we aren't allowed to take plants out of nature either... smdh. your stuff is awesome bro beans

[@taylorcaudil8058]

@Andrei B. just realized how ridiculous I was being lol you saved a life today ahahaha

[@derekgh3fan]

You're really cute! Also love your tanks!

[@pnr2736]

yooo

[@nightangel67]

My wood always Hard 😅😅

[@Zezhuanth_Irthos]

I was waiting for this comment 😂😂😂

[@themanfromcabowabo1559]

0:18 Driftwood can’t make or break an aquarium when there’s flower pots lying in it. The whole intent of driftwood is to replicate the appearance of nature.

[@sallythedino]

Depends on what you're going for in your aquarium, flower pots are great in fish tanks because they love the extra hiding spots. Driftwood doesn't necessarily always have to be used to replicate nature, I think it adds depth and height to the aquarium decor, and fills the empty space in higher areas where the smaller rocks or other decorations can't reach.

[@minibatman2.016]

I’m pretty sure he means it depends on how the wood looks with the aquarium. If it’s rotten or if the wood just doesn’t match the plants or aesthetic. If it’s an ugly log that doesn’t match the tank then it “breaks” the look. If it looks good and natural then it “makes” it

[@mwells6064]

😭😭😭

[@Palatard]

Gatekeep

[@xtianmills]

1:30 insert comment about hard wood getting wet here.

[@user-yz7tv4ov3r]

Does anybody else bleach your wood ?

[@michaelfreitag8403]

I was wondering that same thing. Low concentration just to kill off any algae or bacteria seems like it would be ok as long as you rinse well and allow an air dry to evaporate the chlorine off before the final soak.

[@NoNo-ce8xb]

life by legality is an ujustr reality ... You used to be able to own slaves ...............

[@jasonlimweizen]

my gf likes hard wood

[@tluva1020]

Stop smacking your lips!!!

[@BFF.TURTLE]

Did not help at all.